It’s Thanksgiving time!
Time for families to gather around the dinner table and give thanks for
the first fruits of harvest. I love to
hear stories of elaborate meal planning and creative rituals families have
crafted to honor this national tradition.
I’m also grateful for all of the efforts and loving sacrifices made to
feed the hungry. I believe that this
time-honored American tradition of thanks and giving brings out the best that
humanity has to offer. The season of
Thanksgiving is a time for us to focus our hearts and minds on being grateful
for all of His wonderful blessings –like family, food and shelter, and to bless
others with sacrificial giving. And
although this time of year is deemed for Thanksgiving, God’s command to us is
to practice thanks and giving all throughout the year.
“Give and it will be
given to you. A good measure, pressed
down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you.” Luke 6:38
“Enter into His gates
with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. Psalm 100:4
To that end, I recently witnessed the most awesome example
of giving. Last Friday evening, I
invited two moms of children with special needs over to my home for dinner and
a play date with Malachi and what a joyful, blessed time we had! Emma, a beautiful little girl with a big
heart and a vibrant spirit, took center stage as soon as she crossed the
threshold of my front door.
“Dog! Dog!” Emma shouted.
Emma beamed with delight as Roscoe greeted her with friendly
wags and sniffs. She repeatedly stroked
his curly locks and instantly they became an inseparable pair for the remainder
of the evening. Emma’s introduction to
Malachi was equally energetic.
“Hi! Hi! Emma boomed
as she gently stroked his arm.
Malachi, who had been
watching a movie in his bedroom, looked Emma up and down for a considerable
amount of time before he said, “Hi!” back on his Dynavox.
“My room!” Malachi
informed Emma on his Dynavox.
“See ya, see ya later” Malachi said.
He was eager to return to watching his movie. Emma was not at all offended; she had way too
much exploring of this new environment on her mind.
Shortly thereafter,
Earl, a shy little boy with big brown eyes and a wide grin, joined the
party. Like Malachi, Earl was immobile,
so his mom carried him to and fro.
Emma’s mom offered to carry Earl while Earl’s mom got herself
situated. Earl easily accepted the
transition; he wrapped his arms lovingly around her neck and nestled his head
gingerly on her shoulder for a cuddle-hug.
Throughout the evening, the children took their time getting to know one
another. Emma and Malachi “talked” to
one another on their Dynvox. Malachi and
Earl communicated through eye gazing.
And Emma and Earl created a communication between themselves that was a
mix of Emma’s unrecognizable babble and Earl’s huge smiles. For all of the challenges these children
carried, unconditional love was not one of them; they gave all of themselves to
one another. It’s as if their
differences were invisible to one another.
They found a way to communicate acceptance and love.
After dinner, the
children sat in the front room watching, The
Lion King on the big flat screen TV.
Malachi was stretched out on the sofa and Emma and Earl were sitting on
the floor. Emma was “chatting” Earl up
and he was loving it! Periodically, his mouth broke out into a big, beautiful
smile and his eyes danced with delight.
Without any hesitation, Emma reached over to Earl and wiped his mouth
with his bib. And a moment later, Emma
reached back to pat Malachi on his leg.
He glanced at her and blinked yes
– “Yes, we are showing the world the value of thanks and giving.”
“It is not our
differences that divide us. It is our
inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences.” Audrey Lord
HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2012!
3 comments:
What a wonderful story of fellowship and friendship! We all need each other.
Lolly!
I couldn't agree more that we all need each other, but why do we spend so much time resisting that love and support? Children with special needs fearlessly expose their vulnerabilities on an on-going basis. We coulld learn alot from their courage to be just who they are :) Thanks for sharing!
Dena
Happy Thanksgiving!!! You have to love the take charge Emma!
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